The Wahl Lithium Ion Pro is one of four cordless models featured in our best hair clippers guide. Priced at the high end of our lineup, it includes accessories some of the other clippers don’t have, such as ear and brow trim guides and an organizing case for its guard combs. It also comes with a separate detailing trimmer. The clipper is powered with a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The trimmer, on the other hand, is powered by disposable AA batteries.
The Lithium Ion Pro boasts up to 100 minutes of battery life on a two- to three-hour charge. The battery gave us 94 minutes of runtime on our testing table. It seemed to deplete faster during our volunteers’ haircuts, and we quit using it long before we finished all eight haircuts. Instead, we relied on our top pick, the Wahl Comfort Grip Pro. Though Wahl says the Lithium Ion Pro’s battery can last up to a year while in storage, verifying this information was outside the scope of our testing.
Unlike the Comfort Grip Pro, the Lithium Ion Pro’s motor became warm to the touch during use, and the clipper felt top-heavy. Also, its sleek style, with no texture or grips, made it feel slippery in our grasp, and we accidentally broke several guard combs. While plentiful and easy to manipulate, the guard combs that come with the clipper are not as robust as those of the Wahl Elite Pro.
This clipper’s blades are made of high carbon steel, and a taper lever makes them adjustable for blending. The blades come with 10 standard combs, giving you cutting lengths from 1/16 inch to 1 inch. According to a user guide you can download, additional guard combs are available to add cutting lengths of 1 1/4 inches and 1 1/2 inches. The clipper is 7 2/5 inches long, and its 6-foot cord is detachable. Its motor runs a bit loud, and it vibrates quite heavily in the hand.
When we used the Lithium Ion to cut hair, it started off much stronger than it finished, and it started to pull hair as its battery weakened. While it allows for corded operation when its battery depletes, we had hoped for more sustained cordless power like we experienced with our best cordless clipper, the Remington Cord/Cordless Vacuum Haircut Kit. Although the focus of our testing was the clipper, we checked out the detailing trimmer and found it too gutless for detailing. Instead, we used the Braun Hair Clipper, which was our favorite for necklines and sideburns.
When we spoke with Wahl customer service, we learned that the Lithium Ion Pro can quick-charge in five minutes to provide about 12 minutes of runtime. Its complete kit boasts 28 pieces and includes two hair sectioning clips. The clipper is backed by a five-year limited warranty.